Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro delivers a speech during a rally to celebrate the results of last month's presidential election, in Caracas, Venezuela August 28, 2024.
The United States has recently seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s airplane, citing violations of US sanctions and other criminal issues. On Monday, the aircraft was flown to Florida, according to US officials.
This seizure, which occurred in the Dominican Republic, represents a significant escalation in the strained relationship between the US and Venezuela. The plane, described by officials as Venezuela’s equivalent of Air Force One, has been prominently featured in Maduro’s state visits around the world.
“This action sends a message all the way to the top,” one US official told CNN. “Seizing a foreign head of state’s plane for criminal matters is unprecedented. We are demonstrating that no one is above the law or beyond the reach of US sanctions.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that the Justice Department seized the aircraft, alleging it was illegally purchased for $13 million through a shell company and smuggled out of the US for Maduro’s use. The plane, a Dassault Falcon 900EX, was bought from a Florida company and illegally exported to Venezuela in April 2023. It had been primarily used for Maduro’s international travels, with records showing its last flight was from Caracas to Santo Domingo in March.
The Venezuelan government has condemned the seizure as “piracy,” accusing the US of escalating aggression following a disputed presidential election in July. In a statement, Venezuelan authorities criticized the US for its “recurring criminal practice” and alleged that Washington uses its economic and military power to coerce other nations, including the Dominican Republic.
Multiple US agencies were involved in the operation, including Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Industry and Security, and the Justice Department. Anthony Salisbury, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, noted that the plane was seized for violating US sanctions and other criminal issues. The aircraft was undergoing maintenance in the Dominican Republic at the time of its seizure, with local authorities having no prior record of its presence in the country.
Following the seizure, the US plans to pursue forfeiture proceedings, allowing the Venezuelan government an opportunity to petition for the plane’s return. Additionally, evidence will be collected from the aircraft. The US has recently pressured Venezuela to release data related to its presidential election, citing concerns about the legitimacy of Maduro’s victory. Reports from Venezuela’s opposition suggest that opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia might have won the election.
The situation in Venezuela, marked by widespread displacement and economic hardship, has had broader implications for US politics, particularly as millions of Venezuelans have migrated to the US-Mexico border. Earlier this year, the US reimposed sanctions on Venezuela’s oil and gas sector in response to the Maduro government's failure to facilitate an inclusive election.
Federal agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, have long targeted Venezuelan corruption, disrupting $2 billion in illicit proceeds. In March 2020, the US Department of Justice charged Maduro and 14 other Venezuelan officials with narco-terrorism and corruption. The State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs has offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to Maduro’s arrest or conviction.
The US has a history of targeting Venezuelan officials for drug trafficking; in 2017, two nephews of Maduro’s wife were sentenced to 18 years in prison for attempting to smuggle cocaine into the US. The Venezuelan regime’s corruption has been widely criticized, especially as economic conditions have deteriorated, leading over 7.7 million people to flee the country, the largest displacement crisis in the Western Hemisphere.
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